Smathers Libraries Career Development Handbook

II. E. Promotion for Non-Tenure Track Faculty

Determination
of
Eligibility
for
Promotion

Some library
faculty
are appointed to ranks that are non-tenure accruing (e.g. Assistant-In,
Associate-In, or Senior Associate-In
Libraries). In order to receive
a higher rank, there must be a documented record of distinction in
performance
of the faculty member’s primary responsibility including demonstration
of
professional expertise, innovation, mature judgment, and
creativity.

An
eligible
faculty
member
may initiate the application for promotion whenever the
faculty member believes he/she has met the criteria for promotion by
notifying
the department chair or equivalent (hereafter, "chair") before the
normal tenure and promotion review cycle begins, and the chair shall
initiate
the promotion nomination process upon that request. Faculty members
being considered
for promotion may withdraw from consideration without prejudice.

For those faculty
members in the bargaining unit, the same promotion procedures
are used
for faculty holding tenure and non-tenure accruing titles; the
President
shall
make
the final decisions on promotion.

For those faculty members not in the bargaining unit,
the same promotion procedures (including final decisions on promotion
by the President) are used for faculty holding tenure and
non-tenure accruing titles, with the exception of promotions
from
Assistant In to Associate In or from Associate In to Senior Associate
In. These promotions can be decided by the college dean and do not need
to be forwarded to the President.

Evaluations of non-tenure accruing members
will be based on assigned duties and responsibilities with the
understanding that some assignments may be all or mostly devoted to one
activity.

Promotion
Criteria

Movement from
Assistant-In to Associate-In or from Associate-In to Senior
Associate-In shall be a result of a faculty member’s meritorious
performance since the last promotion or since the faculty member’s
appointment (if there is no previous promotion) and shall be based upon
established written promotion criteria for the rank in question
specified by the University and by the College of Libraries.

Promotion within
a rank series for faculty members who are not eligible for tenure,
where the faculty member’s assignment is normally devoted to one or two
assignment categories requires distinction
in
Criterion 1 the faculty member’s primary responsibility and strong
achievement in one of the other two criteria: 2) professional
development and scholarship, or 3) service to the Library, the
University, the State, and the Profession.

Distinction is
recognized when the evidence demonstrates sustained, high-quality
contributions to the candidate's area of primary responsibility that
enhance library services and functions, foster new knowledge, support
the University’s mission, and provide leadership. Distinction is
performance that would be judged by informed experts as outstanding in
comparison to other professionals in the same field.

Criteria for
promotion shall be relevant to the performance of the work that the
faculty member has been assigned to do and to the faculty member’s
duties and responsibilities as a member of the University
community. Criteria within the College of Libraries recognize
three broad categories of academic service: 1) Professional
responsibility, 2) Professional development and scholarship, and 3)
Service to the Library, the University, the State, and the Profession.

Criterion
One: Professional responsibility: Evidence
of distinction may include
contributions in functions such as:

Providing reference and research services to
discipline based users, to the University community, and/or to the
global research community.

Identifying, selecting, evaluating, acquiring,
and preserving paper-based and/or digital resources in support of the
University’s research and education endeavors which result in
collection excellence.

Instructing students in for-credit courses
offered through teaching departments in the candidate's subject
specialty.

Providing bibliographic instruction offered as a
component of for-credit courses;

Developing instructional materials for in-class
or online use that enhance the information skill sets of students and
faculty.

Supervising and managing units and/or projects
within the Libraries which provide services and functions.

Designing and implementing computer functionality
based on user needs.

Developing and/or managing computer-based systems
including hardware and/or software that enhance the libraries’ ability
to support the library’s and University’s missions.

Creating digital collections that support the
educational and research efforts of the University community and/or
that document the intellectual contributions of the academic community.

Criterion Two:Professional
development and scholarship --
Examples
of strong achievement are demonstrated when the nominee:

Has
made contributions to the field by writing articles, chapters, papers,
etc.;

Has
been recognized as an expert based on invitations to present papers,
demonstrations, poster sessions and exhibits at professional meetings,
symposia, workshops, and conferences;

Has
participated at the state, regional, or national level as session
moderators, panelists and conference organizers/program planners;

Has
developed documents, printed, audiovisual instructional aids, or
electronic media and/or other works of exceptional quality or
creativity that are relevant to his/her professional responsibilities;

Has
completed a university accredited degree program in a subject field
appropriate to his /her assignments;

Has
developed original uses of technologies to solve library problems;

Has
identified funding and developed successful proposals that have created
and/or provide access to information resources;

Has
helped a professional organization develop a grant for funding
bibliographical projects to benefit all research libraries or staff of
research institutions; or

Has
other comparable achievements.

Criterion Three. Service to the Library,
the University, the
State, and the Profession: Examples
of
strong
achievement
are demonstrated when the nominee:

Has provided leadership and significant service
to the Library and/or University through participation and
contributions to committees, college or academic departmental programs
and endeavors, task forces, senates, or research teams, or through the
planning of university programs and initiatives;

Has contributed to the achievement of the
Library’s mission by providing major constructive suggestions and
criticisms of a library-wide nature that have resulted in improvements
in library operations;

Has provided substantive service to the State
University Libraries through participation on SUL-wide committees and
task forces, or research teams, or through planning SUL-wide university
programs;

Has made a substantial contribution to the work
of a relevant professional organization (e.g. holding major elected or
appointed office, planning programs, serving on committees, task
forces, or panels); or